A salutation by
Sri V Subramanyam, one of the premier disciples of Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer, who at 92 is
perhaps the oldest performing artiste in the world!

To be in the top echelon of Carnatic music as a
vocalist for over seven decades is no mean achievement. Dr. Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer is a
living legend still ready and able to give concerts at 92 plus. God blessed him with an
abundance of "Sangeetha Gnanam" (musical insight), apparently to
compensate for his lack of voice felicity. Sri Srinivasa Iyer spared no efforts to do
tireless "Sadhana" (practise) to tame his voice to favourably respond
to his reservoir of musical prowess. It is commonly observed that musicians with
uncooperative voices bring forth music laden with more "bhavam"
(emotion/passion).

An analytical study of the various aspects of music handled by the veteran would reveal
the forces, which shot him, aloft to great heights in the sphere of Carnatic music.

His Patanthara:

Carnatic music has been handed down the generations through the oral tradition, especially
the creations of great composers. The core of Carnatic music being the use of 'anuswaras'
(minute notes) and 'gamakas' (musical ornamentations) and subtle nuances, only a
guru could impart such subtleties correctly. A written notation of a composition shows
only the basic structure of the piece and not the nuances. Even a recorded rendition of a
song cannot replace the guru in conveying the finer aspects of the Raga bhava
(the spirit of the Raga).

Sri Semmangudi
Srinivasa Iyer belongs to the Tyagaraja sishya parampara (musical lineage), and
in particular, the Umayalpuram school, which is acknowledged as one of the most authentic
in the rendition of the compositions.

In the oral tradition, there are always possibilities of unsuitable 'Sangatis'
(musical phrases) that are not in conformity with the lakshana (grammar) of the
raga, getting unwittingly introduced into the compositions. Semmangudi usually examines
any composition that he chooses to render in detail and eschews such sangatis. Thus, these
compositions are reshaped by the doyen to ensure better musical appeal. He would then
write the final form of the song in notation.

Thereafter, he would teach the song to his disciples and ensure that all the musical
contours of the song are completely understood by them. After this, he would render it
with them at least twenty times before presenting it on the concert platform. After such a
thorough analysis and practice the song would become such a wholesome complete musical
mould, that any attempt at improvising it would totally fail. The mould of the song never
undergoes any change even when rendered tens of years later.

The musical continuity that Sri Srinivasa Iyer builds into the compositions with definite,
smooth-flowing sangatis pregnant with raga bhava and linkages are noteworthy. In addition,
the sangati patterns would be so structured that they would perfectly set into the basic
rhythm (sarvalaghu). Thus, even if the singer does not keep beat externally, the
song will flow perfectly on the tala structure. Sri Semmangudi has held audiences
spellbound with mere kriti renditions without any raga-alapana or kalpana-swaras. Kritis
which rasikas (music lovers) look forward to listening to at every one of his
concerts include masterpeices like Ksheenamai (Mukhari), Marubalka
(Sriranjani), O Rangasayee (Kambodhi), Amba neelayatakshi (Neelambari), Akhilandeswari
(Dwijawanti) and Kamakshi (Bhairavi).

This great veteran, indeed a legend of his times, has been captivating his listeners with
his unparalleled wholesome kirtana patanthara for over three-quarters of a century with
the blessings of the Almighty.